


Can We Make This Dream Last Forever?

by Spacecadet72



Category: Knives Out (2019)
Genre: F/M, Gunshot Wounds, Mention of blood
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-11
Updated: 2020-04-11
Packaged: 2021-02-28 17:35:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,948
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23471059
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Spacecadet72/pseuds/Spacecadet72
Summary: Marta and Benoit go undercover as a married couple.
Relationships: Benoit Blanc/Marta Cabrera
Comments: 13
Kudos: 115





	Can We Make This Dream Last Forever?

**Author's Note:**

> This is for Day 6 of Cablanca Week: Tropes. 
> 
> This was actually the first idea I had for a Cablanca fic, it just took me this long to actually get it finished. :D
> 
> Title comes from the Kelly Clarkson song A Moment Like This.

"Good afternoon," the clerk behind the desk said with a friendly smile. His nametag read ‘Dick.’ "Welcome to Willow Tree Resort. How can I help you?"

"We have a reservation. Under Blanc."

Marta kept silent at Benoit's side, her hand tucked into his elbow. She had taken greater care with her appearance than she usually would for a case, but image mattered more this time than it usually did.

The clerk typed something into the computer for a few moments before looking back up at Benoit and Marta, his smile firmly in place. "I have you in room 1206," he said, reaching behind him to pull out two room keys. He handed them over to Benoit, his eyes flickering over to Marta. "I hope you enjoy your stay, Mr. and Mrs. Blanc."

Another resort employee walked up to the front desk, and gave them a smile. “If there’s anything I can do for you, please don’t hesitate to ask,” he said, sticking his and out for Benoit and then Marta to shake. “I’m John, the concierge.”

"Thank you," she said, to John and Dick, moving her hand from Benoit's elbow to lace her fingers with his. “What time is it?”

Both Benoit and Dick lifted their wrists to look at their watches while John looked on.

“It’s just after 1 PM,” Dick said, pushing his sleeve back over his watch.

“That’s a nice watch,” Benoit said, nodding at Dick’s wrist.

“Thank you,” Dick said, that polite smile still on his face. “My ex-girlfriend got it for me, actually.”

“She has good taste,” Benoit said with a smile. “Thank you again.”

They walked towards the elevator and Marta pressed herself closer to his side. Once they were a good distance away from the front desk, Benoit leaned down to murmur, “There was some speculation that the concierge may have been responsible, but his alibi checked out.”

Marta nodded, but her mind was elsewhere as she remembered the conversation that had led them to this moment. She was almost regretting saying yes.

_"Good morning," Benoit said as Marta let him into the house. It was almost lunch time, and he had called ahead about a new case. He held out the paper he had under his arm and pointed at the front page._

_She took the paper from him and looked over the article. "The murdered couples? That's our new case? No one's been able to find out who's behind it."_

_He nodded, and followed her into the library. "I think we may be able to track down the person responsible. All three of the couples were newlyweds and had recently spent time at the same resort in upstate New York. That's where we'll find our culprit."_

_"What kind of resort?" Marta asked, suspicion sneaking into her tone._

_Benoit kept his eyes on her as he answered. "It's commonly patronized by honeymooning couples."_

_"No," Marta said, setting the paper down on a chair. "You can't possibly be suggesting--"_

_"It's perfect, they're going after couples and we can gather more information that way than just going in as investigators," he said, gesturing wildly between the two of them as he sat down on the couch in front of her._

_"We're both too well known. We'll never be able to get away with it."_

_"Which is why we go as ourselves. Just...married." He said it as if it was perfectly clear, but Marta could only throw her hands up in exasperation._

_"Even if that were the case, I can't go undercover. You know what happens when I lie," she said, remembering just how often she'd had reason to lie that fateful 48 hours during Harlan's investigation. She did not need a repeat._

_"So, don't lie. You can mislead with the truth," he said._

_"That can set it off too," she said with a scowl, her arms crossed._

_"So we let me do most of the talking."_

_"That won't be hard," she said, a smile fighting at the corners of her lips. She sighed. "Alright, say we do this. When are we going?"_

_"I thought this weekend would be perfect," he said, getting up to grab the paper from the chair beside her._

_"This is dangerous," she said, looking up at him, her voice quiet. "Either one of us could get hurt." She wasn't sure if she meant physically, or something else._

_He nodded, his expression grave. "You're right. And if you say you want no part of this, I'll go by myself and try to find information out that way. No hard feelings."_

_Marta looked down at the paper in his hands, at the smiling faces of the couples. She sighed again. "No, I'll do it."_

_He looked at her for a moment, as if making sure she was really willing to help. "Alright, we leave in two days," he said before settling back on the couch. "Now that we've gotten that figured out, how have you been, Marta?"_

"Marta?"

She looked up at him, pulled out of her thoughts to see him gesturing at the open elevator door. "Oh, sorry," she said, a blush staining her cheeks as they walked out of the elevator. Their room wasn't far, and soon they were in the hotel room. Alone. Her gaze focused on the large king sized bed at the far side of the room.

"I'll take the couch," he said, catching her focusing on the bed.

Marta looked at the couch, which was more of a loveseat and was much too short for either of them to sleep on. She shook her head. "No, the bed is huge, there's plenty of room for both of us."

Benoit nodded and began pulling files out of his suitcase. “I’ve got the police files here, I thought we could go over them.” He handed her some of the files.

She opened them and began reading. She had known some of the information already from the papers. Three couples had been killed. They had all visited this hotel a week or so before their abduction, but they were taken from home. The police suspected a staff member, but hadn't been able to find the culprit.

“This is interesting,” Marta said, after a while as she read through the files. She pulled the file of the first couple back up, scanning the text to make sure she was remembering correctly.

“What is it?” Benoit asked, looking up from his files.

“Photos from the honeymoon are all missing from each of the couples, but there’s an additional photo missing from the first couple’s house. A prom photo of the bride.” She read the bride’s mother’s statement again.

_I don’t know why they would take that photo. It was from high school. She went with that boy...oh, what was his name? Oh, right. Ricky._

It was a small detail, but it was strange. Why take a prom photo?

Benoit nodded. “I saw that. I’m not sure what it means yet. It might just be a fluke. Something the culprit decided on a whim to take.”

“They thought at first it might be a robbery, but only photos were missing. No jewelry or other valuables taken from the house. Only what the couples were wearing at the time.”

Benoit nodded. “There’s something about that first couple. He only took the wedding rings of the second and third couples, but he also took a watch and an engraved bracelet from the first couple.”

“Maybe because they were related to the wedding?” Marta asked, looking at the photos, both the watch and bracelet elaborately decorated in both silver and gold colored metals. “They were wedding gifts to each other. The bracelet is engraved with ‘ _You have my heart_.’”

“That could be,” Benoit said, flipping through the file again.

“I’m not sure we’re going to find anything more looking at the police reports,” Marta said, setting the files aside.

He inclined his head in acknowledgement before setting his files aside as well and standing up. "Well, Mrs. Blanc, shall we?" He asked, holding out his hand to her.

* * *

They walked, hand in hand, downstairs. They didn’t encounter many couples, but it was still early on Friday, and there were many services that the resort offered.

“Oh, hello,” a young woman, who looked to be in her early twenties said as they passed them in the lobby. A young man around the same age, who he presumed was her husband, was watching the news, on the lobby television.

“Hello,” Marta said, holding out her hand. “I’m Marta and this is Benoit.”

The young woman shook both their hands, her smile wide and friendly. “It’s nice to meet you. I’m Ashley, this is my husband, Carter.” She nudged him and he turned his attention away from the television, his smile as easy and open as his wife’s. “Carter, this is Marta and Benoit.”

“It’s nice to meet you,” he said, shaking their hands, and soon Marta and Ashley were in conversation, leaving Benoit with Carter.

The news was reporting on the murdered couples. “It’s a horrible thing,” Benoit murmured, hoping they could find the perpetrator in time.

Carter nodded. “I’ve been trying to follow the case. Ashley doesn’t like to think about stuff like that, but I think you need to stay informed. I almost changed our honeymoon location when I found out all three couples had stayed here, but this weekend doesn’t follow the pattern of the abductions.”

Benoit’s eyebrows raised. He seemed almost as informed and interested in the case as they were. “You seem to know a lot about the case.”

Carter nodded. “I’m training to be a police detective.”

Benoit nodded, hoping he would become one of the good ones. “I’m a private detective, actually. My wife works cases with me.” He couldn’t keep the pride out of his voice, and there was something thrilling about being able to call her his wife. Even if it wasn’t real.

Carter’s eyes widened. “Wait, are you Benoit Blanc? I can’t believe I didn’t recognize you at first. I think what you do is amazing.”

Benoit smiled. “Thank you. I wish you luck in your training.”

“Excuse me.”

Benoit turned to see Marta dashing out of the room, her hand over her mouth. He turned to follow her when Ashley stopped him with a hand on her arm.

“She’s fine,” she said, with a smile on her face.

He turned to her, a stern look on his face. “I’d like to assure myself of that.”

Ashley, not seeming to see the danger in his eyes if she kept him from Marta, just waved a hand. “Morning sickness isn’t fun, but she’ll be alright in a minute. Congratulations, by the way,” she said before taking her hand off his arm and moving to rejoin her husband.

He took in Ashley’s assumption for a brief moment, before heading in the direction of the bathrooms. It was a clever way to hide Marta’s inability to lie. He couldn’t believe they hadn’t thought of it.

The first bathroom he encountered was a private one just down the hall he had seen her run down. He knocked on the door, and keeping his voice gentle, said, “Marta? Are you in there?”

“Yeah.”

He heard the water running for a moment before the tap was turned off and then the door was opening. She stood in front of him, looking miserable, and he knew it wasn’t just from the vomiting.

“I’m so sorry,” she said, slumping against the door frame.

He looked at her in confusion. “What are you apologizing for?”

She let out a sigh. “I screwed everything up. They know now.”

He shook his head. “No, Ashley assumed it was morning sickness.”

Marta’s eyes widened. “They think I’m pregnant?”

He nodded, with a soft smile. “So, you haven’t ruined anything, Watson.”

She straightened, stepping out of the doorway. “I’m glad our cover isn’t blown, but it’s another lie to have to avoid.”

Benoit nodded. That was certainly true. “I’ll have to be the one to talk about it if they bring it up.”

Their hands slipped together, already a habit, as they walked back. Without his permission, Benoit’s mind began thinking of what it would be like if this were real. If they were really married and having a baby. He hadn’t thought marriage and children were in the cards for him, and he had been okay with that. But now, that the idea of having that with Marta was just out of his reach, he felt his heart ache for the loss.

He had known he cared about her, loved her as a friend, but until this moment, hadn’t realized just how much he wanted something more. He didn’t want this to be just for a case, he wanted it to be real. But while she was a good friend, and he knew she cared about him too, she wouldn’t want this, wouldn’t want him. He needed to push these feelings aside. Their friendship, and this case, were too important.

He tightened his grip on her hand, as this new realization swept through him. He loved her. This complicated so many things, and muddied this case for him, emotionally.

“Are you alright?” she asked, looking up at him in concern.

He nodded and forced a smile. “Just thinking, I’m alright.”

She didn’t look like she quite believed him, but accepted his answer with a nod and a smile of her own.

He needed to get a lockdown on his feelings. He couldn’t afford the distraction, and needed his entire focus to be this case, and not the way Marta’s hand fit into his. He took in a deep breath. He could put these feelings aside for the case and deal with them after.

* * *

Later that night, Marta spent longer in the bathroom getting ready for bed than she normally would have if she had been alone or with someone she wasn't in love with. She remembered the large bed at the far end of the room. It was big enough that they could both sprawl out and still not touch each other, but Benoit would still be laying next to her. She took in a deep breath. She could do this. It was for a case. She could be professional. She gathered up her clothes and opened the bathroom door.

"All yours," she said as she walked to her suitcase to put her dirty clothes away. She felt him move behind her, but didn't look back. Once he was in the bathroom, she walked over to the bed. Should she get in? It was late, and she was tired, so there was no reason to not just go right to bed. It just felt strange waiting for him in the bed. But then, not being in the bed and waiting for him would be even more strange.

She turned out all the lights except the lamps by the bed and got under the covers. The mattress was extremely comfortable, and she was pleasantly situated when the bathroom door opened. She had been scrolling through facebook on her phone, but lowered it when he got to his side of the bed.

He was wearing a light t-shirt and pajama pants, and she had never seen him in anything so casual. It was a surprisingly nice look, intimate, as if no one else got to see him this way. She knew there had been other women in his life, although no one recently, but it felt special, almost as if it was just for her.

She twisted to plug her phone in and set it on the side table as he got into bed.

They each lay on the far sides of the mattress, neither speaking, until Marta couldn't take it anymore and rolled over to face him. "I know we went over clues and evidence earlier, but what do you think we should do tomorrow?"

He rolled over too, until they were a little closer, but not as close as Marta really wanted. "I think we still need more information, and mingling with the other couples and staff is the best way to do that. Fortunately, no one seems to suspect that we're not what we seem."

That was certainly true. They may judge them because of their age difference, but even knowing they were private detectives, no one seemed the least bit suspicious.

"I'm surprised no one has figured it out," Marta said, thinking over the interactions of the day. "We tell them what we do, and they know the murdered couples are a huge case, you'd think someone would suspect."

Benoit let out a sigh. "People see what's right in front of them most of the time. We present them with a loving, married couple and that's what they take away. It certainly helps us."

Marta nodded, but wasn't sure if he could see it in the dark. She could barely make out his face. It made this easier, not really being able to see him. "It's late," she said, after a few moments of comfortable silence. "We should probably get some sleep."

"You're right," he said and she could hear him shifting around. "Night, Watson."

She smiled at the nickname, and rolled away from him, knowing it would be harder to fall asleep if she was facing him. She hadn't thought she was tired, but as she lay there, her eyes began to flutter closed, and she felt herself give in to sleep.

Marta blinked awake, the sun in her eyes. She shifted slightly, but paused, her eyes flying open as she moved against something that was certainly not her pillow. Looking down, she realized she was up against Benoit, her head against his chest, his arm thrown over her, their feet tangled together.

How had they gone from being on opposite sides of a huge mattress to curled up together in the closest way imaginable? She closed her eyes and took in two calming breaths, before opening her eyes again. Slowly, she began extricating herself from him, not wanting to wake him. She hoped she could get out before he woke up, and then he would never have to know.

As she began moving, he shifted, and then those blue eyes were staring at her, first with comfort and familiarity, before they widened, as if he suddenly realized the situation they were in.

"I am so very sorry," he said as he moved away from her, getting out of the bed. He chuckled nervously as he straightened his clothes. "I guess the bed wasn't that big after all."

Marta shook her head, as she followed his lead. "No, it's all right. We were asleep, neither of us did it on purpose." She stared at him, the large mattress between them. This had seemed so simple when they were discussing it in her library, and she had thought it a bad idea then.

"I'll go get ready," she said, wanting to get away from the strange tension that had developed between them. She took a long time in the shower, trying not to imagine what it would be like to cuddle against him for real, and not because they had both gravitated toward the only other warm thing in the bed.

The image of him holding her as they slept seemed to be burned against the back of her eyelids. She shook her head under the spray, needing to get it out of her mind. She was professional. She could keep a straight face when the Thrombey's said horrible things, she could pretend she didn't have a crush on her partner. She could do this.

When she got out of the bathroom, dressed for the day, the tension from earlier seemed to have evaporated, with Benoit acting like nothing had happened. She was fine with that, but what happened in the remaining nights of their stay? She glanced at the love seat in the sitting area, and there was no way either of them would fit.

Benoit came back into the main area before she had come up with a solution.

"I was thinking," he said, and her heartbeat picked up, as she wondered what he might be wanting to talk about. "It's a gorgeous day out, I thought we might go to the beach, see who’s there and what we can find out."

Marta nodded, feeling relieved that he hadn't wanted to talk about that morning. The next thought was that she would see Benoit in a swimsuit and she had to remind herself that they were here on a job. It was work. She needed to get a hold of herself. "I think that's a great idea," she said, for something to say, instead of standing there, staring at him and imagining what he looked like in a swimsuit. Reaching out to take his hand, she walked with him out of the suite. She could do this.

* * *

Breakfast was quiet, only a few other couples in the hotel restaurant. Benoit figured there would be time to talk to people while they were on the beach.

He and Marta walked back to their hotel room to change. He hadn't thought through his plan and realized too late that he would be seeing Marta in a bathing suit. He closed his eyes against the images flooding his head. He may not be able to stop his immediate thoughts, but it was wrong to keep thinking them. She was his partner, and deserved respect, not for him to imagine her in a swimsuit. Shaking his head, he resolved to keep his thoughts on the case.

As they were walking back, a tall, dark haired man bumped into Marta. “Hey, watch it,” he said, glaring at both of them as he and the woman he was with walked by.

“Honey, you bumped into her,” the woman said, her tone soft. She was much shorter than he was, and petite, with bright red hair. Benoit noticed a large engagement ring and wedding band on her left hand.

He whirled to look at her. “Why would you say that?” he said, his voice almost a growl. The two began to argue as they walked past Marta and Benoit who exchanged wide eyed looks.

Soon they were back in their hotel room.

“I’ll get changed first,” Marta said, gathering her things and walking into the bathroom. Marta stepped out of the bathroom a few minutes later, a black cover up over her swimsuit, which left most of her legs on display.

Benoit changed quickly and forced his eyes to stay on her face, her lovely face, as they walked out of the room, hand in hand, towels and other supplies in a bag in his other hand. He was almost getting used to holding her hand, it almost felt normal to be with her that way. He needed to stop that train of thought as well. As soon as this weekend was over, they would need to go back to normal and he couldn't let himself get used to this.

"It really is a beautiful day," she said as they walked towards the private beach, her hand up to shield her eyes from the sun.

He could almost pretend that they were just any other couple on vacation, and that was exactly what he needed to avoid.

"I think your hunch that it might be a staff member may prove to be correct, but talking to more of the guests can't hurt either," he said, feeling foolish for repeating things they both already knew.

She nodded, not seeming to be bothered by that fact. "I think we may be able to get more information from Ashley and Carter. We seemed to hit it off yesterday and she's a bit of a gossip."

"That sounds like a great place to start."

They arrived at the beach moments later, and there were several other couples already there, but it wasn't too busy. He laid out their towels on a section of beach away from the other couples. "We don't want to seem too eager," he said, as he pulled out the sunscreen. He had forgotten to put it on back in the room.

He handed it to her after he was finished and she took it with a nod of thanks. Before opening the bottle, she undid her cover up and let it fall on her towel, revealing a deep yellow bikini and wide expanses of skin he could now see. He could get away with a little ogling, as a new husband with a beautiful wife. What he wanted to do was pull her into his arms, feel that skin against his hands, and never let her go. But that wasn't something he was allowed to do, even on a case like this.

So, instead, he stood back and watched as she put on sunscreen, trying to look like this was a view he saw everyday, and not something out of his dreams.

"Will you get my back?" she asked, handing him the sunscreen again.

He stared at her for a moment, before taking the sunscreen and stepping closer to her. She pulled her hair forward and he squirted a little sunscreen into his palm, before rubbing his hands together and applying the sunscreen to her back. It was even better than he had imagined, touching her. He leaned in closer as he did so, as if whispering something intimate to her while he touched her. Instead, he said, "Your friend is across the beach with her husband," he said, nodding towards a spot farther down the beach. "We should talk to them in a bit."

Marta nodded, saying nothing as he finished applying the sunscreen.

"Alright, finished," he said, stepping back and moving to put the sunscreen away.

"Thanks," she said, as she turned to face him. "Do you want me to get your back?"

Benoit looked down at the t-shirt he was wearing. He had completely forgotten he was wearing it and that he would be needing to take it off. "Oh, right," he said, with a self conscious chuckle. The self consciousness wasn't just because of his slip up. He wasn't sure he wanted Marta to see him. Oh, he knew he didn't look terrible, but he certainly wasn't in his thirties anymore. Forcing himself to not overthink it, he pulled his t-shirt over his head, and handed the sunscreen back to Marta. He turned around so she could get his back, figuring he would get his chest after.

He was able to stop from jumping when she put her hands on his back, but it was a close thing. She rubbed in the sunscreen across his skin and if it had felt great to touch her, it had felt even better for her to be touching him.

“Here you go,” she said, handing him the sunscreen and taking her hands off his back. He felt a strong feeling of loss as she stepped away, but ignored it as he finished applying sunscreen.

“What do you say we go in the water?” he asked, with a mischievous smile. They did have a cover to preserve after all. They couldn’t spend the whole time asking questions.

She walked up to him, matching his playfulness as she stepped in closer. “I think that sounds like a great idea,” she said, reaching up to tap his chest. “Last one in is a rotten egg,” she cried before running for the water.

He dropped the sunscreen and ran after her. She beat him to the water, but once he reached her, he caught her around the waist and lifted her up. She shrieked, and swatted at him to put her down. There was an easiness to this kind of pretending that came from being her close friend. What was different was the ability to touch her like this, casual and intimate.

He set her down, and followed her into deeper water. She turned around and splashed him, hitting him right in the face. She laughed loudly at that, her laughter turning to sputtering as he splashed her back and some of the water got in her mouth.

They continued playing, and after a while, it slowed naturally, that sort of energy hard to maintain for long periods of time.

“I think that’s probably been long enough,” he murmured near her ear as she stood in his arms in the water.

She nodded. “We should go talk to Ashley and Carter. See what they know.”

Getting out of the water, they began walking leisurely along the beach, in the direction of the small section of beach Ashley and Carter had claimed.

“Hello again,” Marta said, waving to Ashley, who was taking a selfie with Carter with a polaroid camera.

“Now, I haven’t seen one of those in a long time,” Benoit said, gesturing to the camera.

Ashley brought the camera down and looked at it with a smile. “Yeah, I know lots of people nowadays would just use their phones, and we do sometimes, but we really like how these turn out.”

“Makes it hard to post on social media, though,” Benoit said with a smile.

Carter shrugged. “That’s just for people who want to show off. We like having something physical to hang up on the wall. Seems more real that way.”

Ashley nodded. “We first started taking polaroid pictures in high school, and fell in love with it.”

“And each other,” Carter said, looking at his wife with an affectionate smile.

Benoit looked on, realizing that he was jealous of this young couple. He wished he could have what they did: a real love that wasn’t pretend. But that wasn’t to be. He found it harder to fake a smile, to hold Marta’s hand and know none of it was real.

“That’s a beautiful necklace,” Marta said to Ashley.

Ashley looked down at the silver heart shaped pendant she was wearing. “Thank you, Carter got it for me for our wedding. He engraved our initials and wedding date on them,” she said with a smile, holding out the pendant for Marta to see. Ashley then pointed to Carter’s wrist, “I got him a matching wrist cuff,” she said, with a proud smile.

Both Benoit and Marta admired the jewelry, and something about the matching engravings set the gears in his mind turning. He was close to figuring it out, he just needed one more piece.

They spoke with Ashley and Carter for a little while longer, not getting much more regarding the case from them, but it was a pleasant conversation.

Benoit and Marta were walking off the beach, hand in hand, when Marta stopped.

“What is it?” he asked, stopping with her, trying to see what had caught her attention.

“Isn’t that the concierge?” she asked, gesturing with her head a little ways ahead of them to the right. A man walked there, and while Benoit’s vision wasn’t what it used to be, he could still make out the face of the hotel’s concierge, John. He looked behind him, looking in both directions, as if making sure that he wasn’t being followed.

“Well, isn’t that interesting,” he said, as he watched the man. He turned his head to look at Marta. “What do you say we see where he’s going?”

“I was just about to suggest it,” she said with an impish grin.

She was looking much too delectable in her cover up, and he couldn’t forget how she had looked without it. He felt a tug on his hand as Marta walked ahead of him, and he banished those thoughts. They were on a case, what did it matter if she was in a swimsuit?

They walked slowly behind John, talking to each other, voices low, and looking for all the world like a newly married couple. She leaned into him as they walked and her body felt right against his.

He glanced up and saw John pause in his walk and turn to look at them. If this was their culprit, they would lose the trail if they scared him off. He stopped and turned to Marta, and leaned into her. Keeping his voice low, he murmured, “Kiss me.”

* * *

Benoit stopped them and turned to her. "Kiss me," he murmured his gaze on her intense.

They had talked about this, about what they were willing or not willing to do to sell their roles while on the case. They had both agreed that as newlyweds, kissing was on the table if needed. It had seemed so clinical when they were discussing it, but now, as she pushed up to press her lips to his, it was anything but.

His arms went immediately around her back to pull her in close as his mouth moved hot and insistent against hers. Her hands found their way to the back of his neck as she clung to him, her fingers moving almost of their own accord to stroke the hair at the nape of his neck. She could feel his hands through the thin material of her cover up, and the contact felt hot against her bare skin.

Even knowing she might have to for the case, she had tried not to imagine what it would be like to kiss Benoit. Oh, she had thought about it, but had tried to push those feelings down as nothing was going to happen.

Now that she knew what his lips felt like against hers, what his body felt like pressed against hers, she wasn't going to be able to forget this moment.

She shouldn't be enjoying this so much when it was just for a case, it felt wrong somehow to like it so much when he thought it was just for the case. She pulled back at that thought, the pleasure she had been feeling turning sour in her stomach.

She reached up to wipe her lipstick off his mouth, keeping a smile on her face for any audience they might have, even though she didn't feel it. "Is he still looking?" she asked quietly.

He shook his head. "I think it worked," he said and there was something she couldn't quite name in his eyes, but he seemed satisfied with the outcome.

She could still practically feel his mouth on hers and she wished she could be professional about this. She even had butterflies in her stomach for crying out loud.

"Shall we?" he asked with a soft smile as he held out his hand to her.

She took it without hesitation and she thought the quiet intimacy of holding his hand might actually make her heart ache even worse than the kiss.

* * *

This had been a mistake. Benoit wasn't sure why he had even thought he could handle pretending to be Marta's husband. It had seemed like the perfect solution at the time and if he was being honest, he had started looking forward to being able to hold her hand and touch her and kiss her. She didn't love him, so this might be his only chance. Which just made him a cad. He was old enough to be her father, and he was pouring too much of himself and the way he felt into that kiss. The kiss that was meant to be for work. Because they were on a case. He couldn't forget that, no matter how easy it was to be with her like this.

He looked ahead, but John had turned a corner. He never should have missed that. “We should keep going.”

They walked, quickening their pace, but trying to maintain a casual look. They were on the edge of a grove of trees near the hotel. He must have disappeared there.

He gestured for Marta to follow him and then quietly entered the grove. It wasn’t very large, having obviously been planted after the resort was built. Beautiful, but manufactured.

They walked for a few moments before sounds of heavy panting could be heard. Benoit turned to Marta and raised his eyebrow. There wasn’t a way for them to stay hidden and see what was going on. Of course, they could guess what was happening further in the grove, but they needed to see that it was John for themselves.

“Follow my lead,” Marta murmured, before she began walking backwards and pulling him with her. When they got closer to where the others were, she began kissing him again. Benoit almost lost all thoughts of the case with her mouth against his.

“Oh!” Marta said as she pulled back from the kiss to see John locked in a passionate embrace with the red haired woman they had seen earlier at the hotel, the one whose husband had bumped into Marta. “I’m so sorry,” she said with a giggle that seemed out of place coming from her mouth. “We’ll leave you alone.”

She dragged Benoit behind her, as he caught up with what she had done. His brilliant partner had maintained their cover while getting the information they needed, while he had been too caught up in a simple kiss that he had just stood there.

“Well, I’m guessing he wasn’t planning on killing her,” she said once they were out of the trees.

“We can’t completely rule him out, but I agree, his only sin is philandering with the hotel guests,” Benoit said, his mind starting to focus again on the case. They were so close, they just needed one or two more clues and they would have the solution.

“I wonder how often that happens,” Marta said, and Benoit was thinking the same thing. “This is a romantic resort, most of the guests are couples.”

Benoit nodded. “Infidelity is not uncommon, unfortunately, but you’d think it would be less of a problem at a place like this.”

“Her husband was kind of a dick,” she pointed out.

“So that justifies infidelity?” Benoit asked, not sure why he was feeling so worked up about this.

Marta shook her head. “No, but it explains it.”

Benoit opened his mouth to reply, when something clicked into place in his head, the arc of the case now complete, the truth falling at his feet.

“Dick!” he cried out, ignoring the looks of the other guests around them.

“I know, I said that, but you don’t have to shout it,” Marta said, looking confused.

“No, _Ricky.”_

* * *

Marta hurried to keep up with Benoit as he walked quickly down toward the hotel, his arms gesturing wildly as he spoke.

“It was there, staring at us from the first day,” he said.

“What was?” Marta asked. She thought she may have some of the pieces, but Benoit had clearly just put everything together.

“Dick, and the watch, and the prom photo. It all makes sense,” Benoit said as they walked up to the front of the hotel. He turned to face her. “I’ll explain everything, but I need you to follow my lead," he said, reaching out for her hand.

Without a second thought, she took his hand and nodded. They walked into the lobby and Marta followed him as he headed for the front desk. Dick was working there again, and smiled at them as they approached.

“How can I help you?”

“I was wondering if we could take a look at your watch,” Benoit said, his accent more exaggerated, his smile good natured. “I wanted to show my wife.”

He glanced at her and she nodded. “I was thinking about getting one for him, but want to make sure I get the right one,”

Dick hesitated, before taking the watch off and handing it to Marta. She looked over the watch, and expecting this was what Benoit wanted her to do, she casually flipped it over, as if looking over the whole watch, to read the inscription she knew would be on the back. _You have my heart._

She handed the watch back to Dick with a smile. “Thank you,” she said, keeping her eyes on his. “I’ll be able to get the right one, now.”

Dick took the watch back, and put it on his wrist, before taking in a deep breath, and reaching into his jacket and pulling out a gun, which he trained on Marta. “I’d hoped you weren’t looking for me, when I heard two private detectives were coming to the hotel,” he said, glancing at Benoit. “How did you know?”

Benoit kept still, his tone conversational. “Just like the engraved bracelet and watch from the first couple. You said your ex-girlfriend gave it to you, and you weren’t entirely lying. You took it from her husband.”

“We’re going to go somewhere a little more private.” Dick said, moving to stand behind Marta, the gun pressed against her back, and kept close behind her so the gun wasn’t visible from the outside. He gestured for Benoit to walk in front. “I wouldn’t try any heroics, if I were you.”

“You don’t need to do this,” Marta said, forcing herself to keep her voice calm as they walked down the hallway. Dick directed them into a small, empty conference room and shut the door behind them.

“Well, I’m not going to go to jail, so yes I do,” he said, stepping away from Marta and keeping his gun trained on them.

“I understand why you did it,” Benoit said, his hands up. “She was your girlfriend, and she brought her new husband to your hotel. How could she have done something like that?”

“She knew I worked here,” Dick said, shaking his head. “I couldn’t believe it when I had to check them in, and she was just standing there, holding his hand while I watched.”

“This was never about the other couples, was it?” Benoit asked, inching closer to Marta. “It was always about her. But you needed us looking for a serial killer.”

Dick’s eyes narrowed. “What are you hoping to accomplish by getting me to tell you everything? You’re not getting out of here.”

Benoit shrugged, his hands still in the air. “I just want to make sure I got it all right.” He inched a little closer to Marta.

“Hey, stop moving!”

“Marta, get behind me,” Benoit said, his voice low.

“No, stay where you are,” Dick growled, as Marta began to move. Marta froze, and Benoit rushed in front of her.

Temporarily blocked from seeing Dick by Benoit, she only heard the gunshot, before Benoit stumbled to his knees and fell over.

“Benoit!” Marta rushed to him, looking over him to assess the situation. He was clutching his upper arm, and by the amount of blood pulsing out of the wound, she suspected his brachial artery had been hit.

Without caring that she was only wearing her bikini underneath, she pulled off her cover up and pressed it to the wound. “You’ll be alright,” she said, as she put pressure on the wound. Benoit’s head listed to the side, and he didn’t look all there.

“Get away from him,” Dick said, and she turned to see him waving his gun at her.

She shook her head. “I won’t,” she said, turning her attention back to Benoit. She would have to be shot herself for her to leave him.

“Benoit, stay with me,” she cried, tears streaming down her face. “You’ll be alright.”

“Marta,” he said, her name slurred.

“Benoit!” she said, the tears coming faster now. “You need to stay with me. I love you.”

He didn’t answer.

“I’m warning you,” Dick said, and Marta ignored him, all of her focus on Benoit.

“Freeze! Police!”

A swarm of people came into the room, guns drawn, and Marta saw Dick drop his weapon.

She could only cry harder at the wave of relief that fell over her. Now Benoit had a chance. She could only hope that it would be enough.

* * *

The first thing Benoit noticed when he woke up was the beeping. He looked around, and it took him a moment to continue waking up and realize he was in a hospital bed. As he looked around, he saw Marta, sitting at his bedside, reading a book.

“Marta,” he said, his voice sounding gruff. He cleared his throat a couple of times to get rid of the gravely feeling.

“You’re awake,” she said, in a delighted tone as she set her book aside and leaned forward. “How are you feeling? Do you need me to call the nurse?”

He shook his head. “No, I’m fine. But what happened after I was shot? It’s all blurring together a little.”

Marta sat back in her seat. “One of the maids overheard us and called the cops, and Dick was arrested. The EMTs arrived not much longer after that. They had to operate and you’ve been out since yesterday.”

His eyebrows raised at that. “And the police know about his other crimes?”

She nodded. “I told them everything. They want to talk to you once you’re up to it, they want your statement.”

He nodded, fatigue weighing on him, and there were other questions he wanted answered before he talked to the police.

“I’ll talk to them in a minute,” he said, waving his good arm in dismissal. “There was something I wanted to ask you about that confrontation with Dick.”

“What is it?” she said, and he thought he saw both fear and hope in her eyes.

“I know I wasn’t exactly conscious there towards the end, but did you say what I thought you said?”

“When I told you I loved you?” she asked, both the fear and hope full blown in her expression.

He nodded. “I thought I might have been dreaming.”

She took in a deep breath, and nodded. “I love you, Benoit.”

He reached out to take her hand, gripping it tightly in his. “Oh, darling, I love you too.”

Careful not to jostle his injured arm, she leaned forward and kissed him softly. He pressed up into the kiss, knowing a hospital room wasn’t really the place for this, but unable to stop himself.

She pulled back after a few beats, her smile wide, her eyes wet. “I was so worried,” she said, sitting as close to the bed as she could. “When he shot you--” she broke off, her voice breaking.

He took his hand from hers, to wipe a tear from her cheek. “I am sorry for putting you through this,” he said, before taking her hand again.

“You were shot, and you’re apologizing?” she asked with an incredulous look.

“What you went through wasn’t easy either.”

She brought their joined hands up to place a fervent, lingering kiss on the back of his hand. “I thought this case was a bad idea,” she said, with a watery laugh. “I didn’t think I could pretend to be your wife and not give away how I felt. But I guess it was the push we both needed.”

“I didn't realize I loved you at first” he said with a nod, “and then when I did, I thought I could handle it. It became clear very quickly that I was in over my head. I loved you too much to hide it.”

“I thought you were just pretending,” she said, with a shake of her head.

“It was all real,” he said, stroking her knuckles with his thumb. “And I will never hide how I feel about you again.”

A few tears rolled down her cheeks, and she wiped at them before leaning down to kiss him again. Even having been shot, this case brought him and Marta together and he couldn’t regret that.


End file.
